When Norwegian black metal is mentioned, most people think of the Oslo and Bergen scenes and all of the legendary bands to have been, and continue to be, spawned from these areas. However, the truth is there is a flourishing black metal scene across the whole of the country. One such hotbed is the centred around Trondheim, and has been christened (pun intended) Nidrosian black metal, after the old name for Trondheim, Nidaros.
A leading proponent of this scene is Whoredom Rife who are now celebrating their tenth year with the appropriately titled ‘Den Vrede Makt’, their fourth full length. This carries on where ‘Winds of Wrath’ left off three years ago and is a confrontational black metal masterpiece. Comprising six tracks, clocking in at 50 minutes, this is an album that takes its time to build, developing dense and complex atmospheres. At times it is rampaging and thunderous, but at others it is more brooding with a sinister, malevolent undercurrent. There are also epic melodies woven into the onslaught and these are integral to the overall sound and impact of the album, such as on ‘Hevnens Rett’ which is built around a sweeping melody, juxtaposing perfectly with the pummelling, relentless overtones. The vocals are harsh, almost growled, but powerful and intimidating, perfectly matching the malevolence of the music. The album is relentless, until it is brought to a fitting climax with the magnificent ‘The Beautiful End of All’. Clocking in at well over eleven minutes this builds, broods and smoulders its way along with an atmosphere of hopelessness and despair before its abrupt ending leaving nothing but silence and a post-apocalyptic feeling of emptiness.
This is black metal that is true to the roots of Norwegian black metal but also has a contemporary sound and is a natural evolution of the genre managing to sound fresh and relevant, while also being dark and challenging. I have been listening to this band pretty much since day one and have seen them live many times, and have always been very impressed. However, this is their best release so far and sees the band continue to grow. I hope to be able to catch them live again soon and hear some of this new material in its natural setting. Highly recommended.
(8.5/10 Andy Pountney)
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